


The Little Miracles

by phantomdare1 (gadaursan)



Category: Pokemon Ranger
Genre: Drabble Collection, Multi, Multiple Universes, Various Other Pairings - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-24
Updated: 2015-08-24
Packaged: 2018-04-17 02:07:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4648188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gadaursan/pseuds/phantomdare1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of Pokemon Ranger drabbles, primarily Shadows of Almia.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Grief

**Author's Note:**

> Transferred from FF.net  
> Another story so soon?! No, I just happen to have some ideas to write about, so I felt that I should make one or two collections of drabbles to dump those ideas into. I could do multi-chapters, crossovers, alternate universe, so the range of topics can be pretty wide. I might be taking requests, if I don't know what to write about.  
> Some of these drabbles may be related to the two other Pokemon Ranger stories I've written, Shadows of Almia, and Tracks of Light, so there could be some source material that may be important to know. I'll warn you if I do happen to make those types of short stories.  
> Happy reading!

 Characters: Ben, Keith

Rating: T

Summary: Ben watched his teacher fall apart, and nothing could be done to fix him.

* * *

Keith had many options at night. He could just leave the quarters and go wandering aimlessly in the night, if the weather was fair. He could visit the library at open hours and read countless books about sappy love stories just to kill his own heart. He could be stopping by a local bar to drink his sorrows away, hopefully not too excessively. He could have gone into the darker parts of town and indulged himself freely so he could forget the pain the past years have done to him. Ben could have thought that the Ranger could choose to jump off the harbors of Pueltown and drown. All from grief.

Ben didn't approve of his teacher's nightly habits of staying up all night. He could understand that the man wanted to be alert at all times when he was on a high scale mission, but he worried for Keith on days after the mission was done, and they had to return to headquarters the next morning. Those days he would be gone, not to be seen again until dawn came, and they would reconvene at the small ferry that would take them back to the front steps of the Ranger Union.

However, Ben was glad that the redhead decided to never sleep in the same room as his student. The last time he did that was a year ago, and Ben spent his waking hours listening to the grown man whimper and groan in his sleep. Usually, he wouldn't care as much, but this time he couldn't bear the sound of it. The young boy tossed the covers off himself. He was ready to stalk over to Keith's bed and punch his own teacher in the gut for being so noisy. His feet carried him to the side of the bed, but he stopped, his fist left in place.

The man was crying, as if he were some lost boy in a crowded market. He was shivering even though he was bundled up in sheets into a little ball. His neck was fresh with sweat, and his face was anguished. His lips were moving, sounds rolling off his tongue, of a name, a woman's name, over and over again. He pleaded, he begged for her to come back. In another moment he shook uncontrollably and was desperately asking for some other woman to stay away, as if this second person had done something so traumatic that he could never forget.

The sight of this broken man was pitiful, and Ben could do nothing to stop it. Resigned, Ben returned to his bed, and continued to pretend to sleep. The following morning, he received an apology from his teacher, and a promise to have different rooms even though the cost would be greater. Ben was actually surprised that Keith was either awake or could sense that Ben wanted to hit him. He didn't protest against Keith's generous offer. He really needed his sleep after missions, and it was for Keith's better good, too.

If Keith wasn't drowning himself in pain, he'd get ferociously angry. Any mention of her name would send the man into a raging fit, and he'd break at least two tables in the cafeteria if anyone said anything involving her at all. And Ben had to emphasize. At least. Two. Tables. Murph could cry over the many stacks of collateral damage repairs from both missions and standby hours Keith had built up.

Ben never caught full brunt of his teacher's anger, but it was quite often he'd get snippets of it. The man would rudely point at what he did wrong and ask him to fix it, without giving any hints. Ever the loyal student, Ben would just get down and figure out the rest of the problem himself, perhaps with Summer's help. Never once did he ever speak back, since the last poor Operator who did so was sent to the infirmary with broken hands. Keith could never hurt his own student physically. Just only words. Not that it broke him.

He could tell that Murph, the rest of the Council, and Hastings were worried for Keith's mental state, but for some reason, they let him be. Ben didn't understand, and many times, he's asked Murph why they never asked Keith to sit down and take a break, or worse, discharge him because of his erratic behavior.

"He's still useful," Murph said quietly. "If we let him go, he'd be worse than he is right now."

So nothing could be done, he concluded. Nothing could fix the broken heart of a man who lost his dignity. His love. Not even another ten years would change his mind to remain alone, to move on and forget all that had been done to him. He won't sleep easily, and he won't open up. Not for another few years. Unless, by some chance, a miracle would happen, and the Hero of Almia herself could return to his arms.

Everyone could only wish that would happen, but for now, they decidedly ignored him.


	2. Duty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Titan!AU "We'll win it this time! Just you watch!" And she did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Kate and Keith are placed in the Attack On Titan universe, and they enlist in the Scouting Legion. There were lots of people in the 104th trainee squad, so I'm tossing them in with the actual main characters.  
> In explanation, humanity has been decimated by large human-like giants called Titans. They have been cornered into a small fortress of land, protected by three walls tall enough to keep the beasts out. The military's goal is to reclaim the land that had been lost to the Titans, and to protect the barriers from them. It's a really good manga, although gruesome, so you should try to read it, if you can stomach pain and tears.  
> This is actually heartwarming instead of tragic, because no one dies. Yay.

Kate recalled the days when her friend would joke that he could take down one of those colossal giants that strayed from outside their borders. She didn't think much of it, other than the fact that he was prone to boasting and a full-blown idiot. And he had a lot of time on his hands to tell fascinating stories that would make the younger children's eyes glow. She, for one, didn't have time, and she worked to help her mother in their little shop on the streets of Shinganshima. He would call for her to join him and the younger children, but she aptly refused, unless her work was done.

Some days, her parents would send Keith with her when she went foraging for firewood with the other children. He'd take his chance to tell her the stories she skipped out on the days prior.

"Isn't it exciting, Kate?" the redhead grinned. "Just imagine it! And all those scouts come back with big smiles on their faces! And then they say, 'We've made glorious contributions to our King! Long live the King!'"

She nodded to his stories, every time with a small approving grunt to go with it.

"You're no fun, Kate!" Keith frowned. "Can't you smile?"

No, she wanted to reply. She couldn't smile. Not when she had to be reminded every day that her father was given up as a sacrifice for the "better" of mankind. She hated the Titans, and the people around this city. Since when was walking into the face of danger and getting eaten a "glorious contribution"? Since when was leaving a family alone without a father good enough for a hopeless cause?

She could recall the days when her father, young and foolish, had been asked to go out into the field again to command a fresh batch of new scouts. He was creaky, but still fit enough to go. Her mother protested, as did her younger sister, but he shook his head, saying that he could never leave the Legion when there was a hope to regain humanity's dominance. Resigned, Kate's mother said that he better come home alive. His reply was a dismembered leg cleanly bitten off.

Of course, she remembered, Keith didn't know that. He used to live on the other side of town, and he had moved here a year ago. She never bothered to tell him what happened to her father, and how his "glorious contribution" was so vital in decimating another portion of mankind's dwindling numbers. Even better, he still had both of his parents. He wouldn't know what dangers lay ahead beyond those walls that kept the Titans out.

Their wake-up call came when an explosion shook the walls of Shinganshima. Kate and Keith were walking back to Kate's shop by then, and Keith was noble enough to grab her and shield her from anything that flew at her.

"I've got you," he reassured her, and she wanted to snort in distaste. She always hated his heroic habits. It reminded her too much of her old man.

"What's going on?" She asked, and she ran around the corner, and dropped the basket she had been carrying in her hand. Keith joined her and muttered a curse under his breath.

Just above the walls that had protected them for so long, was a massive muscular face of a man, skin missing, and red meat blowing steam from the sinews. Its whole head made it over the hundred meters of stone, black eyes staring down at the people of the district as if he were their god laughing at their helplessness. He raised his fists again, and pounded the barrier, breaking it into pieces.

"Run!"

A hand grabbed her, and the two of them quickly made a mad dash to the evacuation route. They were only mere children, so they would be allowed to go first. However, Kate had other thoughts on her mind.

"Mom," she muttered, holding them back. "We have to find mom and Caitlyn!"

"We don't have time for that!" Keith shouted at her. "We have to go before they get us!"

"Don't you care about your mom and dad?!" She ripped her hand away from his. "They're right in the path of those Titans!"

"I know," the redhead said, grabbing her hand once more. "But we're going right now. I'm not selfish, but they've told me I had to save myself if this ever happened."

"But I want to find my mom and Caitlyn first," Kate resolved. "You can't make me change my mind."

Keith didn't protest, and he stood by her. He didn't want to leave her, not here. Not now. They trudged carefully, taking after the vacant streets of Shinganshima, as everyone had fled or went into their basements to hide. They took the right turns and corners to their destination.

"No…" Kate muttered, her knees shaking at the loss of her home. The shop, her mother, and Caitlyn were all gone, squashed by the foot of a merciless Titan. The poor girl could only see red, the red of the arm that cradled her to sleep, the red of the ravaged arm that bore the ring of a bereft, loving husband.

"Run! Kate!"

She didn't move, her eyes dulled over in grief. She didn't care that a Titan was standing right in front of her. She didn't care that she would do nothing to contribute to the "glorious" cause that Keith fantasized about, what her father did and died for. Kate had failed.

"Goddamnit, you two! What were you thinking, taking on a Titan by yourself? I just saved you both from getting eaten! And you, boy! Be a bit more chivalrous! You gotta protect that girl!"

"I'm sorry, sir! We… We're really sorry!"

She didn't speak at all when a member of the Stationary Guard rescued them and took them to the boats. Keith could only tell her comforting stories, hoping that she could even hear him.

* * *

There wasn't much choice for Kate by the time she turned fifteen. Keith was fortunate to find his parents, alive and well, and they welcomed her into their new home in Trost. She went willingly, knowing she couldn't go anywhere else if she refused.

Another three years, and she had to choose her path. Keith was planning on being a good son, and joining the military so he could become part of the Military Police. The redhead had changed his mind about joining the Scouting Legion, as he had witnessed firsthand a Titan in the midst of destruction. His parents were grateful that he wanted to achieve that far, but they urged him to choose his own path.

"I'm going to make sure none of you die because of those Titans," he said to them, and Kate as well. "I want all of you to live safely."

He was taken aback when Kate announced that she would go with him to train, become part of the Military Police, and if she didn't make it, she could at least do some good by joining the Scouting Legion. She had nowhere else to go, and she was actually happy to be with a surrogate brother and surrogate parents, but she wanted to be useful, so she should at least pay them back for their kindness. She knew that she would have to work very hard to even join the Military Police to follow Keith. She was smart and quick on her feet, so why not?

"Then," He shrugged. "I guess I'll be okay with it. You're pretty good at reading and running, so I bet we'll make it together! Just wait! We'll be high ranking officers and we can lead humanity to victory!"

She remembered his rousing words, up till today. She had worked long and hard, and she never looked back. It

"Captain Davies, the Commander would like to have a word with you."

Kate looked up from her desk. A blonde haired sergeant was at her door looking at her expectantly. She didn't immediately stand up, her hand resting on a quill in the midst of writing a letter, to no one, really.

"I'll be with him in a moment," she said quietly. She made it a point that she would not speak unless she needed to.

"But captain," the girl squeaked. "He demands that you see him now."

The woman sighed. The Commander was too impatient and spirited, she observed. She didn't need to hear another fitful monologue about being on time. She pushed in her chair and followed the young sergeant across the hall. The trip to the Commander's room was long, so the sergeant felt that it was fitting to talk to the otherwise quiet woman.

"Permission to speak, sir?"

"Permission granted."

"The commander agrees with me that you should be taking a rest. You just returned from leading the final successful recon mission. He says that you deserve rest."

"Is that so?"

"I heard him talking about taking you to the festivals tonight. You're lucky to be the apple in his eye."

Kate didn't react at all to the blonde. The Commander had only taken fondly to her because they had known each other for a good many decades.

"We are still not finished with our mission to take back the globe. Although those Titans are gone, we have to organize settlement missions. I must work until that is done."

"I see, sir."

And she was not spoken to again. They reached the grand wooden doors with the Legion Corps emblem, and entered quietly. Kate entered quickly, and closed the door behind her. There sat an aged man with gray hair, once flaming red as that burning soul of his.

And Kate remembered. She had not thought of giving her dear Commander a visit the last night, and she knew exactly what he wanted to say to her.

"Glorious, isn't it, Captain Davies? And we did it."

"Indeed, Commander, and I was watching you all the way."


	3. Symbiosis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith has nightmares, and Kate wonders what happened to him when he was taken hostage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story related or not, I don't think Heath would have let Keith's captivity go smoothly without some form of hurt on the side.

A small whimper from under the sheets caught Kate's attention as she remained awake in bed. She had been lying down for possibly about half an hour now, and she honestly wished that the man behind her would stop making so much noise. Her irritation subsided when she heard a small sob, and she reluctantly rolled over to see his face.

Keith was curled up on the other side of the bed, legs up against his chest as he lay on his side. His face was wrinkled in fright, cold sweat running down the side of his face, and small pleads escaping his mouth in low whispers. The strong, broad shouldered Ranger was just a lost child, scared and vulnerable.

Sighing, she shifted closer to him, and wrapped an arm around his quivering shoulders. The man flinched unconsciously in his sleep, as if a single human touch would spell death for him. Kate continued to keep her hand on his arms, and came closer until their faces were closer. In response, Keith slipped a hand under the covers and on her back.

As if they were melted by her body heat, his legs were back at the foot of the bed, and their legs tangled around each other as Kate was literally pressed up against him now. He was holding her tight like some teddy bear, but thank goodness that he didn't try to constrict her breathing. Now that she's literally this close, she could tell he was breathing normally, and he wasn't crying anymore. She could go to sleep comfortably for once.

This must be the fifth time this week, she thought. At least he wasn't struggling or shouting around like he did on Monday. Kate really couldn't sleep that entire night, and it cost her an entire two days worth of productivity. If raising a child was worse than this, she couldn't fathom how many nights she'd stay up. But she was dealing with Keith here. She loved him enough to stay up and make sure he slept well.

Kate could never be gentle like her mother. She couldn't sing songs to lull babies to sleep. She couldn't even really tell a good joke without looking bland. Her "shy" charm has long since faded now that she has gotten older. She wasn't sweet. She was more prone to drive people away with her quiet and intimidating demeanor. It was difficult for her to make good first impressions while she was on the job.

"Really?" Keith would stare at her in amazement when she explained this to him. "But you're nice to talk to. If that's not what makes you nice, then you always show when you care."

Sleeping over at Kate's appartment was a routine for our resident red headed Ranger. In truth, Keith liked her place more than his own, and his own apartment became something of an attic for them. He liked her kitchen best because it had more room to walk around, while his was just a stove and a few cabinets crammed in the front hall. He also liked the small living room, a nice comfy couch with a television set (courtesy of Murph) and an actual fireplace. He was amazed she could even afford such a place, but then again, a Ranger's paycheck is pretty high to begin with.

Another reason why he always hung around in Kate's apartment was her company. It's not that he feared her safety. She can handle herself in the face of trouble just fine. It was he who couldn't handle himself. As many times she asked, Keith would never tell her why he was in such a messy state. Or rather, he no longer remembered why those missing days as a hostage were so painful.

Kate would like to think that Heath, or anyone from Team Dim Sun, probably broke him by talking, but she could tell they did more than that. When Heath tossed the bloodied and restrained Ranger to her feet in exchange for the Yellow Gem. Kate had already gotten used to terrible injuries, but seeing Keith wounded was more than enough reason for her to take risks to save him.

Pitiful, people would say if they knew. The Union kept most details of the operations under wraps, but his parents and the Union knew. The whispers and rumors have died down by now, since it wasn't of any relevance to anyone anymore. At first, Keith flinched at anyone's touch and glared at anyone who dared to mention the incident. A year had passed now, and he had gotten better, but still, he wouldn't tell a single soul what transpired in his captivity.

All he could ever say was, "It was a lot of red. A lot of laughing, shouting, and screaming. It was hell."

But Kate didn't press him for more information. She would wait quietly for him, if he ever recovered from this. Team Dim Sun was still running around these days, even after Operation Brighton. The two of them were sent regularly on missions related to this because they knew the enemy best. So far, finding these remnants of resistance was difficult for both of them. Adding more stress for Keith wouldn't do him any good.

So she settled herself comfortably in his arms, feeling as if she was protected, even though she didn't need it. The sheets wrinkle from a small shifting of legs. Brown lidded eyes open slowly, staring straight at her. So he was awake, she noted.

"I'm scared..."

Kate reached up and stroked his auburn hair. She only gave warmth in the only way she could. Not through kisses. Not through hugs. Through words.

"I'm here," she responds, voice quiet. "I'm real."

Kate could almost hear a sigh of relief as the arms around her waist tighten their hold even more. Keith closed his eyes again, lapsing back to sleep. In these moments, Kate felt that she could rest easy for just another hour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to start writing happier things.


	4. Hypothesis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isaac frets over his first outing with Rhythmi, and goes to Kellyn for advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These two boys need more love, and more Kellyn is always good. And yeah, back to writing Pokemon Ranger. I realized that I haven't ever written about Kellyn in my writing career. And I'm rusty. I don't have many ideas at the moment, so I could use some suggestions

When you stayed in the Ranger Union long enough, you got called a senior Ranger. And being a senior Ranger earned you a nice and sturdy desk, albeit one that could never make space for all the paperwork the Operators brought in every day. If you weren't doing anything at all, signing papers was the solution. Thankfully, most of the pencil pushers in the Operators department were on top of things most of the time.

Now what's left were ample amounts of time with nothing to do. There were too many Rangers to call out on patrol and not enough overseas missions to be shipped off to. Any small odd jobs were better left to Area Rangers that knew the location better, which offended Kellyn sometimes (Almia was his home region, after all). But too many Rangers, too little jobs.

That spelled boredom. Energetic ones like Keith and Summer hated hours like these. Kellyn's had his share of whining and complaining from those two. Kate and Ben proved to be scarily efficient with their leftover hours. They actually liked paperwork (who knew Rangers liked sitting behind desks) and saved the Operators department a great deal of stress by asking for more things to read and fill out.

As for Kellyn himself, he liked to think he was in between both parties. He didn't mind these hours, but he didn't ask for more papers (Kate and Ben already had that handled already). In fact, he's gotten more free time than ever before. Last week he managed to finish the mystery novel Kate so kindly lent him. He tuned up his Styler, like he promised Vato. And most importantly, he clocked in enough hours of sleep for once.

Today, he went with Keith's recommendation: an "super good" comic book that was apparently flying off the shelves back in Johto. He was partway into a good fight scene when he heard a shuffling of feet on the rug in the front of his desk.

"K-Kellyn? I need help."

Said Ranger peered up from the edge of his book's binding. Oh, he knew that blond mushroom cut anywhere, if the stuttering didn't give him away.

"Isaac," He hastily lifted his feet off the table. "Did Melody lose her Glameow again?"

"No, actually," Isaac shook his head. "I need advice."

"Advice?"

"Yeah."

Kellyn needed to blink a few more times.

"Uh… Be more specific, please?"

"I… uh," Isaac took one deep breath. "I said yes to a date with Rhythmi, and I don't know what to do, and it's going to be tomorrow, and I just let it sit there for a whole week and I'm panicking because I don't know what she'd like and-"

"Whoa," The Ranger gestured for Isaac to take the folding chair in front of his desk. "Slow down. Say all that again."

The man sank in his seat and fumbled with the phone in his hands. "I can't think. I didn't plan anything for my date with Rhythmi. So please, give me something. I'm desperate."

Kellyn heaved a heavy sigh as he set down his book on his mostly empty desk. He was a Ranger, not some romantic advice columnist. The closest thing he's ever had to a date was one clumsy confession from a fellow student back in the Academy.

"Why are you asking me, of all people?"

Isaac scanned pointedly around the room. "Because there's no one else here…?"

Well, there was truth to that. Sven, the resident charmer in these parts, was out of the region for the next few months. Linda had been reassigned elsewhere last year (he remembered her and Rhythmi bawling their eyes out at the airport). Isaac would for sure steer clear of all the elder members in the Union, and all of Altru, Inc., for that matter. Most of Isaac's co-workers were twice his age, and the generation gap didn't help.

That only left a few…

"What about Keith?" He suggested. "He's the one who got Kate to smile for once in her life. And he knows Rhyth. Or hell, why don't you ask Kate?"

"Kate's just… scary sometimes," Isaac swallowed nervously. "And I did ask Keith. Two days ago."

"And what did he say?"

"Take turns jumping off of Boyleland and racing to catch the other on time. He calls it a 'trust exercise'."

_Figures_ , Kellyn scoffed inwardly. Isaac fell silent as he started considering Keith's advice.

"He's not… messing with me," he said at last. "Is he?"

"No," the Ranger sighed disconcertedly. "That's what he actually did. Once."

"Really?" He swore Isaac flew a few inches off his seat. "How did Kate agree to that?!"

"She didn't," Kellyn cringed at the memory of the Union's atmosphere dropping twenty degrees below zero the day after. "But she isn't that normal, either."

Isaac nodded in agreement on his opinion of the more quiet Ranger and slumped back in his seat.

"Look, I just need some pointers. That's all."

"Just take her to that restaurant out by the harbor, and be done with it," Kellyn shrugged. "A first date doesn't have to be unique and special."

The blond eyebrows knitted in confusion. "But doesn't that sound like I don't care about the date in the first place? I mean, that's just way too easy!"

"That's not what I meant," Kellyn said. "I'm not telling you to not care. I'm telling you that you don't have to think so hard. Rhythmi's not picky."  _Unlike Kate_ , he might add. "But that doesn't mean she's easy to please. Because you know what they say: 'Just be yourself'."

Kellyn couldn't believe he was saying all of this in one go. He could imagine the rainbows shooting out of his mouth as his lips flapped on about inspirational quotes.

Isaac seemed to have taken his words to heart as he continued to sit in one place, unmoving. After a while, he got up and took his leave. He even bowed respectfully, an act that never ceased to amaze Kellyn.

"Thank you for the advice," the blond beamed. "I've decided to not think about the date at all, and assume it would be fine."

Kellyn wanted to bring up that extremes were a never a good option, but decided against it. Isaac was a man who liked black or white, yes or no. He either liked a lot of problems, or none at all. A mind not particularly suitable for engineers, but he was good at his job, so no complaints there.

He waved off to Isaac before the blond was out of his sight. "Anytime, Isaac."

Quiet returned to the office again, save for the small clacking of heels of a passing Operator, and Kellyn still had a few more spare hours. Back to that comic book then.


	5. Perhaps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wonders if she could have been just like him if she had been given no choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Considering the characterizations I give Kate differs a lot from some others, I always found her to be on the same side of the coin as Ice in some ways. Both of them can be driven to their cause, but act a little detached to their situations. Also I wanted to open up a few possibilities.

Ice received his first visitor in a year, the same Ranger who put him here in the first place. He almost expected her. Rangers loved to come down here to gloat to their conquests (he'd seen that redhead come by all too often). Kate was one of the rare ones who didn't waste their time here. She didn't seem like the arrogant person, but then again, Ice didn't know her very well.

What he didn't foresee was a manila envelope delivered to him when his unexpected visitor dropped in at the appointed time. He avoided her steely gaze as he opened the seal and read the fine print, his incredulity growing by the second. The Rangers' boss was officially insane.

"Criminals working for the Union?" he scoffed, looking back to the woman on the opposite side of the table. "What are you Rangers trying this time?"

"There's no joke," she said evenly. "We're employing you. Hastings was interested in your exemplary technical skills when you reprogrammed the Tower's third floor to your liking. Even Isaac agreed that you were a good choice for our upcoming missions."

He didn't deserve that much praise. "What do you want me to do? Change the screensaver of a mob boss's home laptop?"

"Something like that," the answer was uncertain. "I see you've been keeping up with current events."

How could he not? He was able to pick up bits of news from the guards that walked around here. There had always been bad blood between the League Association and the rogue nations, he knew that. The Ranger Union tended to stay away from the conflict since they were primarily a peacekeeping organization, but as the years gone by, it looked like the League wouldn't leave them alone anymore. It was an easy assumption. The Rangers did have excellent combat training and mastery over all sorts of Pokemon types. There was nothing in their repertoire that didn't spell "soldier".

"So this is it?" Ice thumbed through the pages again. "No details until I get to home base?"

"I'm only telling you what I know," she said. "And you won't be operating from the Union. We're relocating you to the Sinnoh Division."

"Aw," he expressed his disappointment. "So I won't be seeing you again after this?"

"No," she told him straight. Touchy.

"What about you, then?"

If this weren't Kate on the other side of the window, she would have bristled. "What about me?"

"They want you on the front lines or something?" he guessed, but he realized he hit too close to home when Kate bit the inside of her mouth and frowned in response.

"You don't have to share," Ice shrugged. "Isn't that stuff confidential?"

"Not exactly," she countered. "It's probably going to be on the news tonight, anyways. A lot of us are being deployed with the rest of League forces to Holon."

Ice watched her tap her fingers on the table most impatiently. "Well, how do you feel?"

"I don't know," she said tentatively. "But I'm not relieved."

Ice knew the feeling. He remembered only joining Altru the normal way: pure hard work. Typical software design for oil pumps, nothing impressive. But then he watched a fellow colleague lose a finger over something, he couldn't remember. It was bad enough to draw the attention of Blake Hall himself. The ceremony was gruesome and hard to look away from. And then a moment later, Blake gave him that guy's position, and next thing he know, he was the Sinis Trio's leader. He lost no fingers, and the pay was good. The only problem was that world domination wasn't entirely his thing. Cool backstory, still criminal.

He saw himself through and beyond the glass, staring back at him uncompromisingly and still mulling over the idea of her role as the next war machine (if she wasn't one already). He didn't pity her or want to help her out. This was merely an observation of an interesting character in his short life. Kate wasn't one of those idealistic wide-eyed rookies who started out thinking that being a Ranger was saving Glameows from trees. If she did, then she wouldn't have been the famed Rank 10 Top Ranger she was today. But as respected and influential as she was, she's here now, days away from possible death, a choice she can't refuse.

For a moment, he wondered if their roles had been reversed, if she was the one in this cold chair, and he was offering her freedom. What if she had taken the job that Blake Hall offered to her on a silver plate should she have had the slightest interest in computers? What if he himself had become a Ranger later and was told to go fight? He highly doubted the story could have changed, for better or for worse.

He let go of the thought the next second. This was Kate, a woman he barely knew, and a Ranger he didn't like (second to that idiot redhead). He'd rather not get entangled in her life, as much as she didn't want to get into his.

"Imagine that," he teased. "You're going to be the League's dog. Not so different, are we?"

"I suppose so," the Ranger said in accord. Did she actually agree with him? "What brought this on, anyway?"

"Nothing," Ice said as he reclined in his folding chair. If there was one thing he missed about being one of the Sinis Trio, it was the good office chairs. He never had those when he was still in the streets.

"Well, then," Kate was eager to finish the conversation, pushing the envelope back to him. "You want the job or not?"

"I don't really have a choice, so why do you even ask?"


End file.
